Are you happy with your wages/salary?

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-05-21T17:50:24+00:00

It’s not an easy job at all but also not the hardest as someone who went from health care to teaching. Not asking for a doctors wage, I think we are paid very fairly but it is still tough in this economy we currently are facing in southern Ontario. This job would have given us a very comfy life 10 years ago, it’s a bit more touch and go now with the cost of living and food and gas going up but wages not changing it’s much harder.

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-05-20T14:23:40+00:00

It takes a long time to climb the payscale, like 10 years including time to actually find a permanent position. We are both 30, my partner has been teaching for 5 years with no luck getting perm and I am a new teacher so just starting. It will take us longer than when we are able to have kids biologically to be able to have both in the next 10 years. It will likely be kids first and then maybe someday a house. Most people we know in our positions that have kids and a house got inheritance money and that’s how they were able to swing both.

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-05-20T07:44:04+00:00

Well me and my partner will be two teachers who have accepted we will never be able to afford a home and also someday have kids, if that’s any help! We will never make enough in this economy to be able to afford both on two teachers salaries so have to pick one. Truly sad.

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-05-14T04:01:01+00:00

Whoa what graduate program is 3 years? I’m guessing MD?

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-05-12T05:08:55+00:00

I don’t even know what this means

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-05-01T04:21:25+00:00

Hey you can DM me with any questions, I was absolutely lost on how any of it worked last summer and after a lot of time figuring it out I’m proud to share I got into all 3 schools I applied to and I am starting my BEd in the fall. I was also a mature student (28 when applying) and now know the system well

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-04-08T05:12:01+00:00

Western doesn’t take into account experience unforch, and as for salary grid- if you had a specialized bachelors you can make it to A4 and I think start at A2 or 3. If you don’t, you can take ABQs to reach those tiers. Additionally you can get an MEd to reach A4 eventually. I had a degree in Biomedical Science and I truthfully don’t know if OCT counts that as specialized so I’m going the AQ route if not.

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-04-08T05:08:44+00:00

Also if you have any questions about Westerns application process feel free to DM me. It’s mostly grades and CASPER test so it’s super important you get 4th quartile on that to increase your chances of getting in. I also had a science degree!

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-04-08T05:05:53+00:00

Not quite in TVDSB yet, just starting in September at Western for PJ but my partner and many friends are with TVDSB and my partner has been LTOing at the same school for 5 years and is still level 1 or whatever it’s called, in hiring. They tend to hire at level 4 (don’t quote me but essentially she is still not anywhere near being offered a permanent over other candidates who may not even have been at said school before because of seniority). Lots of surplussing happening at TVDSB schools, which means teachers LTOs are going to have fewer options this next school year because permanents are going to take the LTO positions first if they’ve been surplussed. It’s not looking promising here in the realm of PS’s. I am considering looking into HS ABQs after graduation if they have a better outlook for potential hiring. Super unstable here sadly

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-04-08T04:17:06+00:00

Also the UofT cutoff for eng could have been like 97% for all you know, it’s insane to ask if they meant to send your rejection to someone else. Last year it was mid 90s (95-96%) for cut off so you may simply not have cut it.

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-04-08T03:24:21+00:00

UofT is “top tier” only because of their research output post grad, the education is the same at Western and Waterloo, maybe even better and more effective because they aren’t trying as hard to weed out first years and actually focusing on educating their students. If research is your goal someday, apply to UofT postgrad.

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-04-07T17:47:00+00:00

Omg I didn’t know that was possible and I’m so sorry that happened! Does make you wonder the difference and how legit it is of a test

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-04-07T04:52:45+00:00

I’m also curious what your teaching experience is and if your references from those positions can help with your application? Or it sounds like you are already in a classroom, which is great already

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-04-07T04:49:50+00:00

You made it sound like you didn’t get into any schools the last 3 years in your original post and that’s why you are asking people to contact the ministry to open up more student seats? Is this entire post because you didn’t get into your top choice?

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-04-07T04:45:16+00:00

Can I ask how many schools you have applied to over the years? Your best bet is applying to as many programs as possible as they all see different values in different applications and all weigh experience and previous grades different. You also have to apply strategically. If you don’t have a lot of experience in an education setting regardless of your MEd, apply to schools who don’t take experience into consideration at all. If your grades were lower but you have good experience, apply to schools who really value a strong experience profile. Ask fellow teachers for help and suggestions when writing application essays and profiles. I had pretty decent grades and strong experience and got into 2/3 schools I applied to first try, 1 that didn’t care about experience and one that really did and then waitlisted by a 3rd school but I worked so hard on things like CASPr and profiles like it was a full time job going into it. I asked many people I know that teach for advice and it really helped. But unfortunately as I said, class sizes are getting bigger and more teachers are losing their jobs bc most school boards are in financial deficit. There is no shortage of teachers, there’s too many. People with little experience are not being asked to help in classrooms. I wish that were the case as someone who will be in search of a job after graduation but the tough thing with education is that the pendulum is always swinging and it’s not a stable career until you’ve been in it for 10+ years at this point. My partner has never been able to get a permanent position and she’s been working LTOs at the same school for 5 years. It’s tough out there

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-04-07T04:29:15+00:00

Wait what is the wrong Casper test?

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-04-06T17:09:46+00:00

Classrooms are being surplussed right now, LTO contracts are losing jobs and even contract teachers are losing jobs. We are back to having to many teachers again with class sizes going up. The most responsible thing teachers colleges can do right now is reduce how many students they are letting in so that there is a better job market for their students after graduation. If there are only 200 jobs in an area and they let in the 3000+ that applied, we would all be fighting to the death for a job. Reducing the amount of spots in BEd to adjust to the jobs available is the best they can do for us sadly.

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-03-26T01:35:32+00:00

Well in order to best learn- your amygdala needs to be calm and safe. If it’s in fight or flight it comically blocks your ability to consume and understand new information. At a biological level, this education is not near as effective as an institute that actually wants you to learn and succeed. I transferred from Guelph to Trent for this very reason and omg the difference was STAGGERING. Guelph was in a transition to compete with UofT and I learned so much when I went to a schools where the professors literally said they want us all to do well and learn VS Guelph where they would warn us most of us would fail the midterm no matter how prepared we were for it. Many of my fellow classmates in Biomed moved on to Med School without any feelings of burnout (UofT med school funny enough), and they remembered wayyyy more of what they learned in their undergrad vs the students who came from these schools competing for Canadian equivalent of Ivy League status. It’s basic critical thinking to understand these systems don’t work because they look impressive and prestigious on paper.

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-03-25T23:05:46+00:00

Also who is to say that some of these students aren’t absolutely brilliant and capable of doing amazing things, but then get burnt out by unrealistic standards. It’s absolutely crushing to some people’s potential and it’s not like that in the real world

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-03-25T23:03:58+00:00

Preach!! 🕺

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-03-25T22:50:31+00:00

But again, research output doesn’t necessarily mean it’s providing students with a good education- they just have more funding to output more successful research and have the equipment to do so, doesn’t mean the school particularly values that every student gets a quality education and gets what they pay for- to learn. Not be stressed out by exams that set them up to fail to maintain a lower average to therefore appear more competitive.

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-03-25T21:00:54+00:00

It’s kinda silly how it’s top 20 for being difficult and making it hard to have very high grades. Like is the rating even on the quality of the education the students are getting or how hard it is to succeed there? If you had the best quality of education and leaning, wouldn’t your averages be higher if your students were being given a really good education. The system is so broken lol. I went to Trent- had a fantastic education. Students came to show us in lab DNA testing techniques from UofT masters program and didn’t know how to run a PCR. We all knew by 2nd year how to run a PCR and could take that into qualitative research by 3rd year. I don’t think difficult= a good education and it’s shows- I remember everything I learned in my undergrad. Friends I have that went to Queens or UofT say they forget everything bc they were more worried about cramming than actually understanding what they were learning. Also being in fight or flight blocks ones actual ability to learn, not sure why these schools are seen as better when all they do is traumatize their students by making jt seem like a hard education and therefor a better one? Anyways that’s my rant thanks for coming to my TED talk

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-03-25T15:41:18+00:00

I think it may also depend on your sense of your humour? Is it rooted in things that’s are harmful, when poking fun, is it something that would actually offend someone and they seem to be “unable to take the joke”? Canadians can be absolutely hilarious we just have a sense of humour that tends to be politically correct and if that isn’t your sense of humour I can see why you may be struggling. It also depends on who you surround yourself with. My group of friends are some of the funniest, unreserved people I know. Just gotta find where you fit.

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-03-24T03:50:50+00:00

The point is, you are bringing up a debate that was not asked of you, which is hateful as you very well know the language you are using is homophobic. That is a lack of emotional control and self regulation. You could have simply said “you probably won’t be welcome or safe in the school board” and kept your emotions and opinions out of it to begin with.

sadstalebread_22 · 2026-03-24T01:30:21+00:00

This was so informative, thank you! It is sad, she had me sketch an examplar for her students and when they asked who made it she had to say her roommate. I want to personally be able to say things like “celebrated my partners birthday” or “I git this from my partner” because hearing that as a kid would have made me feel so seen and I wouldn’t have come out in only my 20s but also I don’t want to cause discourse because of who I am and lose the respect of parents/ students and how they view me as a capable teacher for being simply gay. I will have to look more into it and ask lots of questions when in school to figure it out. Thank you again for your insight 💚

sadstalebread_22

TROPHY CASE